COVER FEATURE
Dr. David Kouba
The Toledo Clinic Facial Plastics & Dermatology
Dr. David Kouba By: Elyse Hawkins
“We always want our patients to know that we treat them in the exact same way as we would treat our own family members,”
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fter observing his mother’s career as a nurse, David Kouba’s dream since childhood was to become a doctor. “I think that is probably the biggest influence and inspiration,” he says. “Ever since I was a boy, because of my mother’s experiences, I wanted to be a physician.” Many years later, David is dedicated to serving his patients as he leads a team of medical personnel at Toledo Clinic: Facial Plastics and Dermatology. The journey to his current job at the Toledo Clinic was a long one for David. It all started in New Jersey, where he grew up. David then attended Haverford College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in molecular biology. After finishing his undergraduate degree, David stayed in Philadelphia and got his master’s degree and Ph.D. in biochemistry as well as his Doctor in Medicine degree from Jefferson Medical College. David completed his residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital. After exploring other specialties, he decided he wanted to pursue a career as a dermatologist. “From
that first week, I knew what I wanted, and that was to do dermatology,” he says.
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Following his residency, David worked for the University of Maryland as an Assistant Professor of Dermatology. He mainly studied the origins of cancer, specifically looking at the relationship between the immune system and its effects on skin cancer, something that has remained an interest for David. David decided to move to Los Angeles, California to pursue specialties within the dermatology field of cosmetic surgery and Mohs surgery, a specific surgical technique used on skin cancer. He completed his surgical fellowship at the University of California, Los Angeles, Medical Center. For family reasons, David left California and moved to Toledo, Ohio, where he took a job at Henry Ford Health System as a Mohs surgeon and Chief of Cosmetic Dermasurgery in the dermatology department. Soon after, David joined the Toledo Clinic as a Mohs surgeon. The Toledo Clinic has four different locations, two in Ohio and two in Michigan. David travels to each location weekly, meeting with patients and conducting surgeries. A big focus for the Toledo Clinic and David is forming relationships with patients, recognizing that medicine can be a scary thing, and making sure that everyone is always comfortable.
